My Tree Peony

Probably my favorite plant in my whole yard is this tree peony (I have 2 others, but this one is amazing). I have taken the most pictures of it, and it is the flower pictured in the header of this blog. I first saw a tree peony in Lancaster County, and they were so breathtaking that we stopped our car and knocked on the front door of the house and asked the owner what the plant was! I had never heard of a tree peony, but I knew I had to have one. I planted this tree peony back in 1990 and it has never disappointed me. It usually blooms around the 5th of May, although in 2006 it bloomed on April 26 (you know I keep records), and I have a feeling it might be even earlier this year.  Depending on the weather the blooms last about a week. Not a long bloomer, but it is so worth it. Tree peonies are more of a shrub than regular peonies, and they have woody stems, so they do not die down over the winter. The blooms are very showy, and as big as a dinner plate. Just wait!

Anyway...I was reading an article in the latest issue of Fine Gardening about tree peonies and they said the best time to thin them out is right now. They don't really need pruning, but an older plant can get kind of overgrown and dense, so you can thin it out. You can cut out interior growth in early spring, leaving an open branching shape, with six to ten of the strongest branches.  So here is my tree peony yesterday morning.

I couldn't get myself to actually take out any of the main branches. I did prune out a few of the side branches and cut off all dead wood. Then I went about my annual task of tying it up. You can see it is reaching toward the sun, so I stake it every year, twisting twine around stakes and the branches trying to make it stand up straighter. Here it is all tied up.

Below is one of my tree peonies in the backyard. Look how much more it has leafed out. This is a red tree peony. I can't wait to show pictures when they are blooming!

I'm off to Lancaster County this morning with Eileen and Prudy. We are going up to see a Quilt Show in Lancaster, and then will spend the night at the cottage on Landis Farm. We're going to pick up Evelyn and go to lunch, and then we will all go to the quilt show. I'm sure there will be a little bacon shopping and plant shopping on Friday too! Pictures to come!